MLB Player News

The Cardinals finalized a contract extension with DeJong on Monday, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports. According to Bob Nightengale of USA Today, DeJong's extension is worth $26 million over six years.

The extension, which is the largest deal in history for any player with less than one year of MLB service time, buys out DeJong's arbitration years and keeps him in St. Louis through the 2023 season. Though he carried only a modest pedigree as a prospect after being drafted in the fourth round by the Cardinals in 2015, DeJong was highly impressive in his first taste of the big leagues last season, hitting .285 with 52 extra-base hits -- including 25 home runs -- across 443 plate appearances. He'll enter the 2018 campaign as the Cardinals' everyday shortstop.

Crawford (finger) will start at shortstop Monday against the Rangers, John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Crawford received reps at designated hitter Friday and Saturday before having Sunday off. It appears his finger has fully healed to give manager Bruce Bochy confidence to slot him in the lineup.

Anderson (personal) went 0-for-3 with two strikeouts Sunday against the Padres.

Anderson's brief absence from the team to tend to a personal matter came to an end, as he returned to action Sunday. Through this point, Anderson is hitting .188 over 16 at-bats this spring.

Seager (elbow) is scheduled to be in the lineup as designated hitter Monday, Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times reports.

Seager doesn't yet have a timetable for a return to the field, but the fact he's OK to swing a bat is certainly encouraging. To further the story, Ken Gurnick of MLB.com says Seager will begin throwing to bases Monday, but it seems unlikely to be in live game action based on the other report. Despite an illness going around the clubhouse costing Seager a bit of time, manager Dave Roberts remains optimistic about his shortstop's Opening Day status.

Mateo (knee) ran the bases without issue Saturday and is scheduled for another workout Monday, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Mateo has a chance to be in the lineup for Tuesday's spring game, but that is slightly dependent on the outcome of Monday's workout. The minor-league infielder has been dealing with the knee issue for nearly two weeks, but this will likely end up a blip on the radar when the 22-year-old makes his major-league debut further down the road.

Manager Alex Cora and hitting coach Tim Hyers want Bogaerts to be more aggressive at the plate, Brian MacPherson of the Providence Journal reports.

Bogaerts has gotten into the habit of taking pitches, including pitches down the middle of the plate he can drive. It's a passive approach that may have led to his diminished power in 2017, when he hit 10 home runs, down from the 21 he hit in 2016. Bogaerts swung at a career-low 42 percent of pitches last season, including fewer than 12 percent of first pitches. "He's an impressive young man who has power," Hyers said. "The more balls he hits over the center of the plate and where he's looking, he can do more damage and put some fear in the pitchers instead of just trying to put the ball in play." The challenge for Bogaerts will be to train his body to be more aggressive and not take a hittable strike for the sake of taking a pitch.

Mateo (knee) will run the bases Saturday, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Mateo suffered a knee sprain at the start of camp and has been limited in practice thus far. The young shortstop has played just 60 games at the Double-A level and isn't a candidate to start the year in the majors, so this injury should have little effect on his eventual ETA.

Cecchini hit a solo home run in his only at-bat during Friday's split-squad game against the Nationals.

While there doesn't appear to be room for Cecchini on a big-league roster that already features Asdrubal Cabrera, Jose Reyes and Wilmer Flores, the 24-year-old is doing his best to force the Mets to make a tough decision, collecting four hits -- including two homers and a double -- in his first seven spring at-bats while also walking twice. If Cecchini keeps raking, it could encourage the front office to pull the trigger on a trade to clear space for him.

Crawford (finger) served as the Giants' DH on Friday and went 0-for-3 at the plate.

While Crawford didn't return to his normal spot at shortstop Friday, his presence in the lineup was a step in the right direction. The Giants haven't indicated when he'll be back in the field, but there's no reason for them to rush the three-time Gold Glove winner's return.

Anderson is away from the team while dealing with a personal matter. He is day-to-day.

He is hitting .231 with one home run in 13 at-bats this spring, but is currently away from the team. Anderson is an appealing source of power and speed later in drafts (current NFBC ADP of 197.4). While he hit 17 home runs and stole 15 bases in 146 games last season, a 20/20 season isn't out of the question in the coming years.